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We are happy to announce the newly created eprint server for engineering, engrXiv! Through a partnership with the Center for Open Science, we are building a free, open access, open source archive for engineering research and design. The initiative responds to growing recognition of the need for faster, open sharing of research and design on a truly open access platform for all engineering disciplines. Papers on engrXiv will be permanently available and free to the public.

The field of engineering is at a bifurcation when it comes to publishing the methods, analyses, and results of research and design efforts. Engineers want to disseminate their results both for professional advancement and societal benefit, but many of the traditional publishing outlets can extend the time it takes for an engineering artifact to become public. engrXiv will enable engineers to rapidly disseminate their work to their colleagues and other stakeholders who will benefit from it. Free and open access to engineering knowledge has the power to enable faster development within the field and the ability to build capacity for change within communities for which it would be the most beneficial.

The partnership with the Open Science Framework lays the groundwork for a broader integration between engrXiv and the Open Science Framework that can provide access to not just engineering papers but also important engineering assets such as data, code, and design and computational models. It will also provide an environment for public peer review of these engineering assets. In short, the development and advancement of engrXiv will improve our ability to design and research, better connect us as engineers, and promote a greater sense of community around the dissemination of the ever-growing engineering body of knowledge.

The eprint server provides several important benefits to the engineering author:

Fast, free uploading of academic papers and open access for all readers

Free registration open to all, regardless of academic affiliation

Permanent identifiers that link to the latest version of a paper (authors can provide links to versions published elsewhere)

Full access and discoverability through Google Scholar and other research tools

The option to use any Creative Commons license

Comment and discussion on papers among registered users

Grouping of papers together for conferences or working groups

Analytics data on how often papers have been accessed

Easy sharing on social media sites – without requiring readers to register

“It is of paramount importance to the advancement of society that the knowledge and works contained within the field of engineering be openly accessible,” said engrXiv Director Devin Berg, an associate professor and engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, which serves as the archive’s institutional home, “Regardless of an engineer’s discipline, there are countless individuals and communities who could benefit from their work but lack academic or professional affiliation that would grant them access to the traditionally published scholarly output.”

“It is vital that not only papers but also outcomes like data, code, designs, and computational models, can be shared, peer-reviewed and cited using a single framework. The engrXiv aims to provide such a framework, allowing scientists and engineers to rapidly share and discus all types of engineering works. Sharing not just results, but also the tools, data, and methods that led to them will enhance collaboration and reproducibility in engineering research.” said Kevin Moerman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.